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Race Across America
The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race.
RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove their abilities by competing in any of several qualifying events, completing a course within a specified time period.
RAAM is sometimes compared to the Tour de France, but the two races are fundamentally different. At its heart, RAAM is a transcontinental individual or team time trial, i.e., it is technically a nonstop event from start to finish, although solo riders do stop to rest occasionally. While the route has varied over the years, it has always been from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km), with the fastest solo competitors needing under 8 days to complete the course. By contrast, the Tour de France is a stage race contested by a large peloton of professional racers riding for sponsored teams. The route alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise discontinuous circuits around France and is generally about 2,200 miles long; the distance is divided into individual daily stages spread over the course of 23 days (including 2 rest days) and contested at much higher on-bike speeds than in RAAM.
The first incarnation of RAAM, The Great American Bike Race, was organized by John Marino in 1982. There were four competitors: John Marino himself, John Howard, Michael Shermer, and Lon Haldeman. The course started in Santa Monica, California and finished at the Empire State Building in New York City, where Haldeman emerged as the winner.
Results of the 1982 race:
After the first year, the name of the event changed to Race Across America, and participation became subject to qualification rather than invitation. The concept caught on and the event grew larger year after year, with riders from around the world showing up to compete. The race was televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports through 1986. In 1989, team divisions were added to introduce new elements of technology and strategy: a category for HPVs and faired bikes resulted in record speeds, and a four-man team division gave racers the option of riding together or taking turns, allowing them to balance higher speeds against longer rest periods.
In addition to races across the full span of the United States, shorter races with a similar format have been included within RAAM; among these are a 24-hour version and the Race Across the West (RAW), typically ending in Durango, Colorado.
The race was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and afterward the level of participation did not recover immediately. For example, the number of solo racers was 38 in 2019, 12 in 2021, and 30 in 2023.
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Race Across America
The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race.
RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove their abilities by competing in any of several qualifying events, completing a course within a specified time period.
RAAM is sometimes compared to the Tour de France, but the two races are fundamentally different. At its heart, RAAM is a transcontinental individual or team time trial, i.e., it is technically a nonstop event from start to finish, although solo riders do stop to rest occasionally. While the route has varied over the years, it has always been from the west coast to the east coast of the United States, approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km), with the fastest solo competitors needing under 8 days to complete the course. By contrast, the Tour de France is a stage race contested by a large peloton of professional racers riding for sponsored teams. The route alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise discontinuous circuits around France and is generally about 2,200 miles long; the distance is divided into individual daily stages spread over the course of 23 days (including 2 rest days) and contested at much higher on-bike speeds than in RAAM.
The first incarnation of RAAM, The Great American Bike Race, was organized by John Marino in 1982. There were four competitors: John Marino himself, John Howard, Michael Shermer, and Lon Haldeman. The course started in Santa Monica, California and finished at the Empire State Building in New York City, where Haldeman emerged as the winner.
Results of the 1982 race:
After the first year, the name of the event changed to Race Across America, and participation became subject to qualification rather than invitation. The concept caught on and the event grew larger year after year, with riders from around the world showing up to compete. The race was televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports through 1986. In 1989, team divisions were added to introduce new elements of technology and strategy: a category for HPVs and faired bikes resulted in record speeds, and a four-man team division gave racers the option of riding together or taking turns, allowing them to balance higher speeds against longer rest periods.
In addition to races across the full span of the United States, shorter races with a similar format have been included within RAAM; among these are a 24-hour version and the Race Across the West (RAW), typically ending in Durango, Colorado.
The race was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and afterward the level of participation did not recover immediately. For example, the number of solo racers was 38 in 2019, 12 in 2021, and 30 in 2023.